Recommend a laptop??

[jimbo]

Currently using a very old Dell Latitude D610, XP Professional. It is slow and battery life is just about 1 1/4 hours. My requirements are very modest :
most important is to stay on the small side for ease of schlepping around with it. I use it in bed while on the 5fu pump, and take it to the chemo center to help pass the 5 hours down there. Small and lightweight. I think a 14" would be OK but may the 15.6"? I have no extraordinary usage requirements...no photoshop, etc. I just check email and post on the forum trying not to annoy hj too much! I stream some audio ( old time radio shows) which actually works fine even on this dinosaur. I don't think I really need to stream video, but .....maybe.......
Not much need for gigantic on board memory or hard drive.

Any thoughts? Thanks,

[leejosepho]

Your D610 likely has a 5400rpm hard drive, and a new 7200rpm drive (and possibly maximizing your memory) would refresh what you already have and speed things up a bit. Add a new battery and you have a like-new computer for about $200. I have recently done that with two older Dells running XP. But if you want a new notebook, prices for Windows 7 machines should be low now that Windows 8 will soon be on the shelf.

[BobL43]

Your D610 likely has a 5400rpm hard drive, and a new 7200rpm drive (and possibly maximizing your memory) would refresh what you already have and speed things up a bit. Add a new battery and you have a like-new computer for about $200. I have recently done that with two older Dells running XP. But if you want a new notebook, prices for Windows 7 machines should be low now that Windows 8 will soon be on the shelf.

Lee, have you tried Win 8? I did, and after a little frustration, I went back to 7. I found 8 to be ugly, unintuitive and I have nothing good to say about it. I really have nothing good to say about Windows 8. I can't see it being a big hit at all. Another Microsoft Bob. Maybe good for tablets?

[u.s.coins]

Currently using a very old Dell Latitude D610, XP Professional. It is slow and battery life is just about 1 1/4 hours. My requirements are very modest :
most important is to stay on the small side for ease of schlepping around with it. I use it in bed while on the 5fu pump, and take it to the chemo center to help pass the 5 hours down there. Small and lightweight. I think a 14" would be OK but may the 15.6"? I have no extraordinary usage requirements...no photoshop, etc. I just check email and post on the forum trying not to annoy hj too much! I stream some audio ( old time radio shows) which actually works fine even on this dinosaur. I don't think I really need to stream video, but .....maybe.......
Not much need for gigantic on board memory or hard drive.

Any thoughts? Thanks,

i just bought a ASUS laptop windows 7 and i'm very satisfied with it so far. i bought it because of a recommendation from a guy that i listen to on a computer show on saturdays. the show is on at 1 pm eastern. anyway he has a shop and mentioned that he gets very few ASUS brand computers that come in for repairs and that is why he likes them plus he uses them. anyhow that's my thoughts. if you or anyone else would like to tune in to the show it streams at http://www.iheart.com/#/live/1869/?autoplay=true
hth

[leejosepho]

Lee, have you tried Win 8? I did, and after a little frustration, I went back to 7 ...

Nope, I seldom even use Win7 ... and that is part of my thought for Jimbo here if he might want to stick with XP.

[BobL43]

Nope, I seldom even use Win7 ... and that is part of my thought for Jimbo here if he might want to stick with XP.

I use XP at work. I always liked XP, and I think our idea of more RAM and a speedier hard drive is not a bad idea at all for Jimbo to consider.

[jimbo]

Interesting thoughts. I had not considered upgrading the Dell. I thought it was too old for that.
I have W7 on my new desktop, and wifeys Toshiba laptop. We have not had any problems. I have seen a lot of ASUS on amazon, so I will check that out. Price is not them main concern, so I may buy something at Fryes, Best, or the Navy Exchange.

[Terry]

I've been working on Sue's laptop, trying to upgrade the disk to 500GB from 150GB.
Her's was getting slow and running Vista. I had Windows 7 upgrade disks that want a dirty install. The upgrade worked fine on the smaller Vista drive, but when I tried replacing with the new 500 drive, all bets were off. I've spent countless hours now trying to make it work. It was running much faster though, just changing to 7.

After trying to upgrade my desktop work computer from XP to 7 I gave up and bought a new box and screen. I'm still in the process, but I was able to keep one of the old 19" LCD to go with the new 23" to keep my two monitor system. That's a Summer Closeout Dell i-5 with 8GB
So Monday I go back to Sue's laptop upgrade. I will try installing Vista on the new drive and then upgrade that to 7. Or I might go out and get an OEM 7 disk for her "old" laptop. Upgrading laptops can be tricky. Best Buy wanted $250 in labor to install the new drive. It sounds like a bargain now.

How's the chemo going Jimbo? I know it gives your body and mind a good beating. They say it takes a full two years to recover from it, and that sounds about right. It was two years in August for me, and it's nice to feel more like I did before it all started. I don't have to relay on the calendar so much anymore. People think my memory is good now. (So do I) There was a time during the first part of the chemo that I needed reminders.

The laptop I'm using is a Toshiba Satellite i-3 that I bought in 2010. It has 7 on it and 4GB memory. It's been good.

[jimbo]

How's the chemo going Jimbo? .

I get 3 days every other week...one day at the hospital and 48 hours hooked to a pump at home. I leaves me so tired sometimes you can't lift your head off the pillow. But I get better over the next few days....and try to rest up to do it again. Diarheah has been a problem...I will leave it at that!

[BobL43]

I get 3 days every other week...one day at the hospital and 48 hours hooked to a pump at home. I leaves me so tired sometimes you can't lift your head off the pillow. But I get better over the next few days....and try to rest up to do it again. Diarheah has been a problem...I will leave it at that!

Jimbo, not too many people like to discuss Cancer and its treatments, but you do have a cheering squad going here for you, me included

[jimbo]

I am a pretty open guy on stuff like this. I do not try to burden anyone with my problems, but I don't have any "secrets" from anyone who cares to know. It aint going away, and it is what it is!

[Cookie]

I get 3 days every other week...one day at the hospital and 48 hours hooked to a pump at home. I leaves me so tired sometimes you can't lift your head off the pillow. But I get better over the next few days....and try to rest up to do it again. Diarheah has been a problem...I will leave it at that!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/53...-for-diarrhea/

Rinse the banana and pat dry with a paper towel before peeling, and wash hands afterwards.

[jimbo]

Thanks cookie. I do use the "BRAT" diet....bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast! Seems to be good,

[Cookie]

I take it the diet is not helping, sometimes, nothing will Jim. But, when all finished it will resume to a more normal state.

[marvin_smith]

I want to buy a branded laptop, do anyone suggest me the best brand for laptop.